Canada: Building Greener Under The Ontario Building Code

Buildings are a tremendous source of greenhouse gas
("GHG") emissions. It is estimated that buildings
contribute up to one third of global GHG emissions. Environment
and Climate Change Canada estimates that the buildings sector
accounts for 12 per cent of Canada's total emissions in
comparison with other economic sectors.

Given the impacts that buildings can have on GHG emissions,
building codes, such as the Ontario Building Code ("OBC")
are playing an increasingly important role and becoming useful
tools in mitigating and adapting to the effects of climate
change.

The OBC regulates the construction of new buildings, as well as
the renovation, change of use of, and demolition of existing ones
in the province.

From an environmental perspective, one of the most important
functions of the OBC is its role in setting levels of efficiency
for new buildings in the province. Changes introduced in the 2012
OBC—which is the version currently in effect—brought in
efficiency standards exceeding most other Canadian jurisdictions.
The new efficiency requirements came into effect on January 1, 2015
and January 1, 2017.

The changes are designed to see an increase in energy efficiency of 15 per cent
for low-rise houses and 13 per cent for large buildings. The changes seek an
improvement of the envelope of new buildings through, for example,
higher standards for heat recovery ventilators and greater air
tightness, so as to improve energy efficiency. Additional changes
include improved insulation, better windows, and improved
efficiency for furnaces and hot water tanks. Programmable
thermostats, which will allow residents to turn the head down when
they are sleeping or not at home, have also become a
requirement.

The Ministry of Municipal Affairs and Housing has also proposed
further changes to these efficiency requirements for the 2019 OBC
and seems to be exploring ways for the 2019 OBC to better respond
to the impacts of climate change. Some of the issues upon which the
Ministry is soliciting feedback for the 2019 OBC
include:

whether government should require hurricane straps in all new
houses to provide greater resilience against high winds;

whether government should be updating the climatic data in the
OBC to reflect current weather conditions; and

what other elements government should consider to increase the
ability of houses and buildings to better withstand the effects of
extreme weather.1

On June 29, 2017, the federal government released a discussion paper entitled "Environmental and Regulatory Reviews" ("Discussion Paper"), which proposes broad changes to the federal environmental assessment...

The GC Recently Issued A Discussion Paper Entitled "Environmental And Regulatory Reviews," Which Outlines Its Proposed "Series Of System-Wide Changes" To The Federal EA Regime, Energy Regulation By The NEB...

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